Washed Out Roads
|  Video
|
| Charles Koch |
| 4/13/2009 |
 |
| The snow is melting at a rapid pace, and that`s creating more flooding problems across the state. But it`s not just affecting rivers and creeks, where ice jams have been getting a lot of attention. Now, overland flooding is draining into smaller tributaries, and we are beginning to see flooding problems on a county-wide scale. Fast moving flood water has washed out so many roads in Morton County that the county highway department can`t even barricade them all. A pickup was stopped in its tracks today for a very obvious reason. The road in front of it had been washed away. The passengers could do nothing but take a good look and turn around to find a safer route. If you think all the washed out roads are frustrating to drivers, imagine how the Morton County Highway Department feels. "We had actually started repairing roads last Monday already doing a fair amount of getting them," says Charles Morman, of the Morton County Highway Department. "Then we`ve lost everything we`ve repaired already, plus many, many more. Twenty to 25 we are going to barricade today that we can get to. We can`t physically barricade every spot." Louse Creek is usually just a trickle, but the recent warm weather and rain have caused the creek to surge by several feet, enough to make it look like a river, and demolish a 110-inch drain pipe. Road washouts are becoming a common sight across Morton County and one east of Flasher on the Louse Creek will certainly cost the county a lot of time and money to repair. "We`re looking at probably an additional $500,000 just to crush gravel alone over what we have budgeted already, and that`s got to be brought in somewhere along the line for the people there because farmers and ranchers depend on these roads," says Morman. The county`s best guess is that the flooding disaster will cost anywhere between $250,000 and $900,000 dollars in road repair alone. And if the waters continue to rise, that number will only head higher. |
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